Falling Free

-Thirty-

"You know when you suggested that we come down here for a girls weekend, I thought we would actually be doing fun things."

Niamh rolled her eyes at Ada's complaining and paused halfway down the garden path. Esme and Polly came to an abrupt stop with the younger woman almost sending her aunt in law flying into the rose bush.

"Look, this will be fun," Niamh promised them, pulling a face at the disbelief etched on each of theirs. "Karina and the other ladies are really nice and they've been kind to me. It's important to me that you meet them and I can bring together all of the women in my life."

"But they're Jews," Esme sneered. "What the fuck have are we gonna have in common with them?"

"A lot more than you think," Niamh sighed, looking to Polly for support and tutting when she received nothing more than a smirk. "Look, please. Just try for me, alright? Just half an hour and if you're all genuinely bored or uncomfortable after that then we can go, ok? Ada? Esme? Please?"

"Fine," Ada muttered, stomping up the path like a stroppy teenager. "But if anyone starts fucking praying or any shit then I'm gone."

"And I'm opening the bottle of rum in my bag," Esme huffed.

"And I'm sharing it," Polly snorted.

"Me too," Karina's voice came from the doorway and Niamh couldn't help but grin. "Actually got a few bottles of Alfie's brown bread in the back of the pantry which I've been saving for a special occasion. If you find our company that bad then I'll crack it open and pour it down your throat myself."

Niamh could tell by the looks on her family's faces that they hadn't been expecting to like Karina within the first few seconds of meeting but that they most certainly did.

"Come on in then 'cause you're letting all the heat out," Karina ordered them, ushering them past her and into the hallway one by one. Esme was last and Karina mustn't have cared much for the look she received because she loudly proclaimed, "You look like you could do with a rum regardless of whether or not you like us or not because you've got a face like thunder, don't you?"

"Yeah well wouldn't you if you'd been up all night with two under two hanging off your tits all night," Esme retorted.

"Been there, love," Karina chuckled. "And if it's not the kids then it's the husband hanging off them, eh?"

And just like that Esme smiled and any remaining tension seemed to flitter away.

"Niamh, you can come and help me in the kitchen quickly while the ladies introduce themselves to each other," Karina ordered her kindly.

Knowing better than to argue, Niamh followed Karina into the kitchen with just a quick glance back at her family, who were making themselves comfortable and she could already hear laughter coming from the living room.

"Thank god for that," she sighed in relief.

"There's still time for arguing," Karina chortled. "But we'll try to be optimistic, shall we?"

Smiling, Niamh couldn't help but wrap her arms around Karina, causing her friend to tense up in surprise and eye her curiously.

"What the hell was that for? You're not dying are you?" Karina smirked. "Because Alfie would be a right fucking nuisance and I've already told him off enough for one life time, Niamh."

"Thank you, Karina," Niamh murmured, taking her friend's hand and squeezing it gently. "Thank you for everything you've done for me; welcoming me here, helping me to fit in when I had no one but Alfie, for defending me against Alfie when he was being a dick, for wiping my tears when I've cried and for not judging me when I pissed myself at the last ladies lunch we had because your sister in law had me laughing so hard. Thank you for it all. You're the best friend anyone could ever have, and even more than that you're my family. You're like another sister to me and I'd be lost without you."